


What Really Happened with the Tapes

by sparkly_optomist (orphan_account)



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, High School, High School AU, M/M, Pre-pilot, cecilos - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-29
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-11 21:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4453583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sparkly_optomist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Why did Cecil fall instantly in love with Carlos? What if they knew each other in school? And what is the deal with those tapes?</p>
<p>Cecilos fluff high school au but not really. You'll see. I update once a week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Home -Philip Philips

Carlos was roused from his nap by the car jostling over a pothole. He groaned and sat up, fumbling around the back seat for his glasses. The world swam into focus as the glasses slid up his nose. "How much longer?"

"Any minute now-- look! There's the sign right there!" His mom replied, pointing out the window at a purple sheet of metal on a post positioned on the side of the road. It read "Welcome to Night Vale. Population: Varies Dailey"

_Seems a little ominous_ , he thought to himself.

...o0o...

As his family's minivan pulled up in front of his new home, he wondered how he was EVER going to "get used to" this town. Although it looked rather normal, something seemed... off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something.

The moving van had arrived about 20 minutes before his family, so most of their boxes already littered the curb in front of the sand-colored house. Carlos gathered a few boxes labeled with his name and various categories of items inside, and trudged off to his new house.

His room was on the second story, second door to the left. Someone, probably his father, had already set up his bed. The high schooler set down the boxes and opened one labeled "Carlos linens," before pulling out two bedspreads. One was simple galaxy print, and the other was most of the periodic table stretched across the cotton. After a moment's pondering, he decided on the cosmos. Once finished making his bed, he grabbed his pillow from the bottom of the box and stuffed it into his pillow case, depicting an atom in the center. Carlos placed the remaining set of sheets back in the box and plopped himself on top of the fluffy comforter.

A new town, a new school, the first day of sophomore year. He honestly didn't mind the change, with his father's job as a scientist. The company his father worked for had his family move a lot. He didn't particularly miss his old school or anyone there. Carlos had always been independent. "A scientist is self-sufficient" his father always said. And if it was good enough for his dad, it was good enough for him.

_One or two friends wouldn't be bad though_ , he thought. _Just one or two_. He would find someone completely unique.

Boy was he in for a surprise.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Best Day of my Life - American Authors

First day, first impressions.

Carlos mumbled this to himself over and over as he dug through the many boxes labeled "Carlos Clothes". _You should have picked an outfit before packing everything away!_ he thought, looking over the piles of shirts and shoes dotting the floor and bed.

Finally, he spotted his favorite flannel shirt: red plaid with white buttons. He quickly grabbed a pair of jeans and threw on the outfit before practically flying down the stairs. He grabbed his toast and yelled "Thanks Mamá!" before shoving it in his mouth. Stepping into his sneakers but not bothering to tie them, he raced out the door and down the street, barely jumping into the bus before the door slammed shut.

Carlos quickly slid into a seat in the very front upon noticing that most people took up residence in the back as the bus started moving.

"Hi" came a voice from right next to him, causing him to jump.

"Sorry" he muttered, blushing. "Didn't see ya there." He turned to face the kid next to him. It was a pale boy with blonde hair and--what color was that? It had to be contacts-- violet eyes framed with large lavender glasses.

The boy extended his hand in greeting. "I'm Cecil. You must be new here; I haven't seen you around."

Carlos took his hand gladly. "I'm Carlos. It's very nice to meet you. I just moved here from Wisconsin."

"Ooooh! Chilly there, huh? Do you have fireflies? What do you think of Night Vale?"

Carlos was caught off guard by the amount of questions, having just met the kid. But he wanted to be a scientist, and a scientist has to be prepared to answer any and all questions.

"Yes, it is a bit cooler than around here. We only have fireflies in the summer, and I only got here yesterday, so I'm not sure what to think of this town yet." _That's good_ , he thought, smiling. _Good first impression._

"Neat!" Replied... what was his name again... Cecil! That's it. Cecil. "If you want, I can show you around after school." He continued.

"Sounds great!" Carlos replied. He wasn't sure why, but he kinda liked this guy. There was something about him that just made him want to be Cecil's friend.

The two departed the bus together and made their way to the outdoor eating pavilion. "That building over there is the cafeteria. There is seating inside, but I like the outdoors."

They waded through the crowd of high schoolers outside the cafeteria waiting for the bell to ring, signifying the beginning of the school day. Everyone had papers in their hands, and Carlos realized with a start that they were schedules.

"Um, Cecil, uh... Where do we get our schedules? I have no idea what my first class is."

"Don't worry! Most of these kids were at the open house last Saturday. That's why the already have theirs. We will get another copy when the bell rings and we report to our pod." He paused for a moment, then added "Each grade has their own building where their core classes are held."

Cecil gestured to the building adjoining the cafeteria. "This is where most of the electives are" he said, pointing to each door as he named a class. "Art, wood shop, band, choir, journalism, Spanish, and the locker rooms for P.E. are around on the other side."

As the boy finished, the bell rang with a pleasant 'ding ding ding'. The whole crowd immediately turned in the same general direction as they began to make their way towards the pods. The two boys followed suit, allowing themselves to be swept away by the mob. Carlos had trouble sticking with Cecil, and the blonde noticed. He reached out and grabbed Carlos's arm, preventing them from separating.

Why did Cecil's touch make his skin tingle? Why did this boy make him blush? _He knows I'm gay_ , he thought. _He's making fun of me._  But of course this wasn't true. They'd only just met, and he wasn't out to anyone yet.

As they entered the pod, the announcements started playing, quieting everyone to a dull murmur. While Principal Winchell spoke, Cecil made his way to a table with a teacher sitting behind it, pulling Carlos along.

"... _And don't forget to pick up your schedules in your pod. If you have any complaints or electives you'd like to change, please fill a squirrel skull with river rocks and a paper with your desired schedule change and turn it in to the front office_..."

 _What the heck?_  Carlos thought.

By then, the boys had reached the table and Cecil was talking to the teacher in a soft voice. Oh, that voice sent shivers down Carlos's spine.

 _What?_ He thought. _Where did that come from?_

"Cecil Palmer" the blonde told the teacher. She handed him a schedule with his name on it, then turned her gaze to Carlos, who gulped. "What's your name, sweetheart?" She asked.

"C-Carlos Ramirez" he stuttered.

The lady glanced down at the pile of papers. "Here you go sweetie" she said brightly, pulling out a schedule clearly labeled with his name. "Looks like you have me for english. My name is Ms. English, by the way. Total coincidence." She chuckled warmly.

Carlos smiled and stepped away, allowing the next person to retrieve their schedule. Cecil leaned over his shoulder and held his paper next to Carlos's. "We have a bunch of classes together! Neat!"

Carlos barely heard him. He was suddenly acutely aware of Cecil's closeness. Feeling his face go red, he forced himself to compare the two papers, like a scientist would do.

The paper had a chart with 4 columns and 7 rows. The columns were labeled 'period,' 'course,' 'instructor,' and 'time.' The lateral lines displayed his classes and the specified information next to it. The boys' schedules were identical, except during Carlos's 4th period AP chemistry, Cecil had journalism.

"Wow. AP chemistry!" Cecil noted, impressed.

Carlos blushed. "I want to be a scientist when I get older" he explained.

"A scientist, huh?" Cecil smiled playfully. "I'm very into science these days."


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Pushing - Andy Grammar
> 
> Explanation: Carlos is pushing his feelings away.
> 
> Also, can someone tell me how to get the italics to work? I copied and pasted the chapters from an email from my phone..?

After 4th period was lunch. Carlos piled a little bit of this and a little bit of that onto his plate before paying. "I like the outdoors" Cecil had said. _Well_ , he thought, _since he's the only friend I've made, I might as well sit with him_. He headed to the cafeteria doors.

His eyes took a while to adjust to the bright desert sunlight, but when they did, his eyes immediately fell on Cecil. His friend was sitting with two girls, and Carlos felt his heart sink for some reason. He chose to ignore it when he saw Cecil raise his hand and wave at him, then pat the spot on the bench next to him.

Carlos made his way, maybe a little too quickly, over to Cecil's table. As he sat down, the blonde introduced him to his friends. "Dana and Mary, this is Carlos. Carlos, this is Dana" he gestured to the dark skinned girl across from himself, "and Mary" he pointed to a pale, but not as pale as Cecil, girl dotted with freckles in front of him. Dana had brown hair and light brown eyes, while Mary had blue eyes and light brown hair. He thought it was funny how everyone had a different skin tone as he pictured himself, Hispanic with dark brown eyes and brown curly hair.

Mary smiled teasingly. "Is this your boyfriend you've been telling us about?" The girls giggled as Cecil turned red. Carlos felt his own face grow hot with embarrassment.

"He is not my boyfriend." The blonde retorted quickly, maybe a bit too quickly (or maybe it was Carlos's imagination).

"He has perrrrrfect curly hair and perrrrrfect teeth" Dana attempted to imitate Cecil between giggles.

All laughter stopped when they noticed a look of pure hatred on Cecil's face. "Hey, man it was a joke. I'm sorry..." Dana began, but Cecil shook his head.

"It's not that" he said. They all followed his glare at a slightly chubby boy with short brown hair. "Steve Carlsberg" Cecil hissed.

"What's wrong with him?" Carlos asked.

Cecil shook his head again. "He's my ex, and a total jerk!" He said quietly.

Carlos blinked in surprise. "Are you... gay?" He asked before he could stop himself.

The boy shifted his gaze to look into Carlos's eyes. "Is there something wrong with that?" His voice was defensive, but assertive.

"No, no of corse not" Carlos sighed in relief. "I'm just surprise your so... open about it."

Cecil blushed. "Well I'm pansexual, technically. Like, gender blind."

Carlos nodded. He wanted to tell Cecil that he was gay, but he wasn't quite comfortable with the girls yet, so he kept it to himself.

While they ate, Carlos observed the social dynamics of the group. Cecil seemed to be the outsider, but still part of the group. He thought it was because Mary and Dana were best friends. Mary and Cecil were constantly talking, and Dana only spoke when she felt it necessary. After they finished the bell chimed and the sophomores rose to move to their next classes.

Cecil and Carlos entered History together. They say side by side, Cecil on the right and Carlos on the left, as they had in all of their shared classes.

Before they knew it, school was released and everyone headed out. As they exited the gate, Cecil looped arms with an unsuspecting Carlos and began to skip down the sidewalk.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked as his friend dragged him along.

"I promised to give you a tour of the town, silly!" Cecil replied.

 _Oh yea_... He remembered. Carlos braced himself for the queer town where he now lived.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: Cmon- Panic! at the Disco and fun.

_What WAS this place?_ Carlos thought. Cecil had led them through the streets of Night Vale, pointing out things like the Bowling Alley, residential neighborhoods where so-and-so lived, the invisible clock tower, and the construction site of the drawbridge.

"...They haven't started building yet." Cecil was saying. "With still raising funds and such."

"Why would they need a drawbridge anyway? There's so water around. _We're literally in a desert_."

"City council basically has complete control" Cecil explained. "Speaking of City Council, here's City hall, right up ahead."

The two made their way along the sidewalk, and up to the steps of the large building. Cecil tried the doors, and found that they were open. He held the door for Carlos.

Upon entering, Carlos was overwhelmed by the sheer number of metal plaques hanging from the bricks. He skimmed over them until one in particular caught his eye. It looked about the same as the rest of the plaques so he wasn't sure what about it drew his attention until he inspected further.

The plaque had Cecil's name on it.

Carlos called his friend over and read the plaque aloud. "Cecil G. Palmer. Age 23. NVCR Host. What the heck does that mean?"

His friend rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... I'm destined to be the next Night Vale Community Radio host... Kinda lame huh?"

Carlos laughed. "No, with your voice you'll make a fortune!"

Cecil beamed at him, and Carlos realized what he'd said. _You just complimented a guy's voice! That screams gay!_

Thankfully, Cecil didn't seem to notice, as his attention was drawn to a plaque on the opposite wall. "Check this one out" he called, gesturing to a slab of metal that read 'Carlos Ramirez. Age 22. Scientist.'

"Umm. Why is this here? I only moved here yesterday."

"Prophecies usually apply to people who spend most of their life here, or practice their profession here." Cecil explained.

Carlos shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. I just don't get this town."

A glimmer of light in his eye momentarily blinded him.

"Ooh Carlos! The sun is setting!"

With that, Carlos felt a tug on his arm again, as he was lead to a large painting of a man in a tan jacket, holding a deer skin suitcase. Cecil paused to tug the left side of the frame. The brunette watched in amazement as he heard a loud click and the painting, which apparently now was a door, swung slowly open with a low squeak.

"Come on!" Cecil urged as he pulled Carlos up the stairs. Behind them, the painting- he couldn't quite remember what it looked like anymore- swung closed with a deafening bang.

Cecil led him up a flight of spiraling stairs. Before his eyes could adjust to the dark, Carlos's head hit a ceiling.

"Sorry" Cecil muttered. There was another click, and a trap door opened above them. A sliver of sunlight fell upon them. The future radio host opened the door the rest of the way before pulling himself out, and then turned to offer a hand to his friend. Carlos accepted, and hoisted himself out.

"This is my favorite spot in the town" Cecil said, gesturing to the roof of town hall. There were several potted plants surrounding them, and a pile of old pillows in the center. "Sometimes I just need to get away, ya know?"

"Did you do this?" Carlos asked. "It's so beautiful" he murmured, gazing out at the town.

Cecil sat on the pile of pillows and patted a spot next to him for his friend to sit. "I like to come up here and listen to the radio or watch the sun set... I'm also fond of stargazing..."

Carlos sat himself next to his friend, a dozen questions flowing through his mind: about the painting, and the secret passage, but he ignored them for once to enjoy the sunset.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: -Falling For Ya from Team Beach Movie
> 
> I figured out the italics!

Before he knew it, Carlos had lived in Night Vale for two months. He and Cecil often hung out on the roof of city hall. Cecil told him about how one day, he was in city hall, and he saw the secret door slightly cracked open. Not being able to ignore such a mystery, he went exploring. He found himself on the roof, and from then on, it was his own secret place. He decorated and made it comfortable, so he had a place to go when he was upset or needed to get out of the house.

Carlos was slowly growing accustomed to this strange town and its antics. He's gotten used to the mysterious hooded figures, accepted the randomness of the Sheriff's Secret Police, and learned not to question the vague yet menacing government agency.

Several times, Carlos had wanted to come out to Cecil, just to get it out there, and maybe then he could sort out the strange feelings he had towards his friend. But it never seemed to be the right time. It always felt like he would be doing it just for attention, or to ask Cecil out, both of which never the case. So Carlos just kept putting it off.

Anyway, his birthday was fast approaching, and he wanted his friends to attend. He currently sat addressing invitations to a few people, including Dana, Mary, and of corse Cecil. He sighed at the thought of him, tracing circles with his finger on his bedroom desk. Wait, what?

 _Since when have you been daydreaming about him? This is so weird_ , He told himself. _You don't have a crush on him, he's just your best friend_.

Best friend. That was a new concept for him. Carlos thought back to his elementary school days, trying to remember if he'd ever called someone that before.

There was a knock on his bedroom door that made Carlos jump.

"Carlito," his mother called him by his nickname, given to him when he was 2. "Dinner is ready"

"Thanks Mamá, I'll be out soon," he replied. Carlos sighed and quickly finished addressing the letters.

...o0o...

Cecil had just finished the last season of Deathnote on a rental dvd. Trying to cope with the sadness of the end, he set about writing a Lawlight fanfiction (otp!). He had a sudden urge to text Carlos about the feels.

He really had a significant crush on his best friend, but didn't want to screw up their friendship. What if he confessed, but Carlos didn't reciprocate? And worse, what if he didn't want to be his friend anymore? He didn't even know if Carlos was into guys. Cecil couldn't take that kind of rejection.

Cecil sighed, then resumed his writing.

...o0o...

The next day, Carlos handed out the invitations to his friends. His circle grown to include Kevin, Cecil's twin brother, and Earl Harlan, one of Cecil's childhood friends. He handed each of them an invitation, saying "I hope to see you there." When he gave Cecil his designated envelope, he felt his heart flutter as their fingers brushed together.

 _Calm down,_ he thought. _You're just happy that you have another friend of another sexuality than strait. Yea, that's it._

...o0o...

As soon as Cecil got home, he tore into the invitation. The party was this coming Saturday, from 6-8 pm.

With a giddy squeal, the blonde wrote 'Carlos birthday party' in big purple letters on the corresponding spot in the calendar. In almost an instant, he was on his bike, wallet in his pocket, riding down to the mall.

...o0o...

Carlos waited anxiously at the entrance of the bowling alley, waiting for his guests. Well, one in particular. Earl called ahead and said he couldn't come, and Mary and Dana were already there.

Just as he was about to turn away from the door, two bicycles turned the corner across from the Arcade Fun Complex. One was purple (of corse), and the color made his heart leap. _It's platonic excitement. Purely best friendness_ , he kept telling himself.

Cecil and his brother locked up their bikes before coming inside. Carlos studied the two for the hundredth time, just to be sure he never confused the two. Kevin was more tan, due to more exposure to the sun. He was also about an inch taller than his brother, standing at 5'9". However, the most obvious difference between the two were their eyes: a bland sand-brown verses a vibrant violet. All in all, Kevin seemed very... bland compared to his brother.

The smaller boy pulled a backpack from one shoulder and produced a box wrapped in purple paper. Cecil gently handed it to his friend and whispered "Be careful with it" in his ear before moving inside. Kevin laughed quietly at the blush on his face. Carlos shook it off before turning back inside.

...o0o...

The evening progressed as a birthday party should, starting with a round of bowling, then about an hour of arcade gaming. A little before the cake, Carlos heard S Club 7's "Natural" come on the radio. He just froze in place, thinking about the lyrics, until Cecil, not looking where he was going, bumped into him. Cecil stuttered his apologies before scuttling off to the table where candles on the cake were being lit.

Carlos felt his face turn bright red. He quickly walked to the bathroom to hide in a stall, waiting for the blush to subside. _What has gotten into you?_ He asked himself. _This is your best friend, nothing more._

Upon emerging from the restroom, Carlos found himself engulfed in a chorus of "Happy Birthday", immediately followed by cake and present opening. He gratefully thanked each person for their gifts before opening the purple box. With nervous excitement, he quickly peeled back the paper, only to meet a plain cardboard box. Tension growing, the future scientist opened the flaps at the top.

From the box he pulled the _coolest gift he'd ever received_. It was a purple lava lamp, about two feet high, the base and top covered in metal cutouts of stars. On the base were the words "I am star stuff".

Cecil beamed. "What do you think?"

Carlos leaned over and hugged his friend. "I _love_ it. Thank you so much!"

At that moment, Carlos accepted that he liked this person more than a friend.


End file.
